The Beginning
by Lupa Wolfe
Summary: Howl is a young boy who adores his father. Unfortunately the upcoming war has torn father and son apart. What has happened to Howl's father and what is to become of Howl?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I do not own the right's to Howl's Moving Castle nor to any of its characters.

Warnings- None, but be warned that I've only seen the movie once so I'll probably make mistakes. Please bear with me, and correct me when that happens. Thanks!

CHAPTER 1- Father's Ring and Work

A small, lean boy with blue hair sat on a wooden floor in front of a large desk. The quaint cottage he sat in wasn't very large but it made up for its lack of space by emitting a calm comforting feeling. It was here that the most ingenious spells and incantations were created and perfected by one of the most renowned wizards in the world. The boy, Howl, loved to watch his father work. He could only think, 'Someday I'll be as great a wizard as he is.'

The man sitting at the large desk could only be the boy's father. His hair was a darker blue than his son's and shorter but a hundred other little subtle features in the man's face reflected into that of his son's. The only thing that distinguished them from being clones of one another was their eyes. The father had eyes the color of liquid gold, while the son had eyes that were a misty blue.

The man was reading a book that appeared to written in a long dead language. He wore glasses that were perched precariously on the end of his nose. Suddenly he picked up a pen and wrote down notes, but continued to read, not once glancing down to see that he'd taken his notes across several pieces of paper. He set down his pen and the book after he'd finished the page, and then sat back in his seat to stretch out his legs in front of him. He looked down at his son, who was still watching his father with interest. He grinned at him and stood up. "Howl, let's take a break." Then walked out of the cabin. Howl quickly got to his feet and ran after his father.

They walked around outside and, unlike the cabin, there was much space and endless skies. All around them were wild flowers that tickled their ankles, and smelled sweetly for them. Howl's father and the young boy stood on top of a large hill that overlooked more rolling fields, wild flowers, and a deep shining lake. Father sat down in the grass, and Howl mirrored him.

After a moment of comfortable silence, father spoke, "Howl, you know we can't stay here forever, right?"

Howl looked quizzically at his father, "Why not?"

Father sighed, suddenly looking much older, "There's trouble brewing back at our other home. Soon, very soon, all wizards and able men will be called to arms."

Howl continued to look confused, "But why?"

Father smiled indulgently and rested his arm gently around his son's shoulders, "Because the powers that rule this land and other don't agree. It's a matter of petty greed and immaturity."

"Then why go?"

"I'm going because I want to protect the things that are important to me." He said, placing one large hand on his son's head, for emphasis.

"Oh." He said, looking down at his shoes.

His father smiled again, love reflecting in his eyes, "You'll understand one day, I promise." He said, knowing that the matter was too complicated to take in all at once. "We're leaving tomorrow morning, so make sure you don't leave anything behind." He paused, then slid a silver ring off his finger and put it on his son's. "This ring will keep you safe. Take very good care of it. Understand?"

Howl nodded, grinning in pleasure at his father's present. His father touched the ring lightly and murmured an incantation under his breath. The ring glowed bright blue, then shrank to fit Howl's smaller finger. "Now it will expand and shrink to fit the size of your fingers. This way you'll never out grow it." He smiled, patting the top of his son's head affectionately then stood and walked back to the cabin.

Howl scrambled to his feet and ran after his father eagerly, his fingers that held the ring curled tight into a little fist. As a precaution against losing it. Just in case.

(A/N: Yeah, it's a short chapter. So sue me. Actually, please don't -sweatdrop-. But I plan on writing much more, so please tell me what you think so far... Thank you!)


	2. Growing Up

CHAPTER 2- Growing up

Dinner was a casual affair. How could it be anything but, when it conducted on the floor? Father's excuse was that he didn't want to move his papers around when he had them organized the way he liked them. Of course, they had a table, but father's extensive research and notes had crept over the table in time and the surface currently wasn't visible.

Father would prepare meals for them in the small kitchen in the corner and Howl would lay out a large blanket on the floor, with plates and silver-ware. Howl usually made short work of his chores while his father struggled not to burn the water.

He thought it was intriguing and even comical that his father could mix with a disturbing accuracy the most complicated ingredients into the prefect concoction, but had difficultly managing spaghetti. Howl never minded when his father made a mistake, because he was doing the best that he could. It had never been in Howl's nature to offer scorn in return for kindness.

Howl also suspected that, despite his claim to the contrary, his father enjoyed eating on the floor with him, as though every night it was a special event just for the two of them. They almost never went through a meal without having lengthy and intricate conversations about books, the weather, flowers or father's work.

Afterward, they _always _went outside to star gaze and round out the night. Even if Howl had been bad that day and gotten a scolding, even if father was sick with the flu, even if it was pouring scare crows. They _always_ went outside together, and that final night was no different.

Father put down the same blanket they had eaten on in the grass. Father and son lay on their backs looking up at the sky, which had decided (despite being quite cloudy a few hours before) to be clear for them. Father quietly pointed out constellations to Howl and explained the story behind each one. Howl and his father came out so often that Howl already knew them all. But he insisted on the continuation of this particular ritual because he never tired of hearing his father's deep soothing voice lilt.

"Father?" He asked, quietly.

"Yes, Howl?"

"Will we ever come back?"

His father paused, not wanting to tell a un-truth to Howl, "I'm not sure. But I promise that you will always be able to come back in the future."

"You have to come too."

"We'll see." He said, kindly.

"We're going to come back here someday" He said firmly, in his mind leaving no room for protest. "Even if I have to wait till I'm as old as you are, we'll come back and eat dinner on the floor and star gaze at night."

Father chuckled, "Till you're as old as me? Are you sure? That's pretty old you know."

Howl nodded seriously, "Yes, I know. But it'd be worth it to come back here with you."

"You're not afraid to grow up?"

Howl didn't say anything, which caught his father's attention. "Howl? What is it?"

Howl looked over at him, looking dejected, "To be honest, father, I _don't_ want to grow up. But I know I have to. It's not fair! As I get older things change. And it's not the good kind of change you talk about. I got older and Momma disappeared. I get even older and now we have to leave. If I didn't get any older, would we be able to stay here like this forever?"

Father sat up, a deeply sorrowful look in his eyes, and pulled his son to his side, "If only it were that simple, Howl. I wish it were that simple. But boys have to grow into men. Remember that everything happens for a reason, so try not to write off this move as a bad thing. You never know. Our new home could be even better than this. You're going to meet new and interesting people who will love to be friends with you. Doesn't that sound like a good thing?"

Howl shrugged stiffly, and his father gave him a gentle one armed hug and stood, deciding that only time could make it better. Once Howl met people open enough to accept him, he'd forget all about hating the move. In fact, once he had adjusted, Howl might begin to claim that it had been his idea all along.

They gathered up the blanket and went inside for the night. Father unfolded a cot for Howl and slept in the only bed. Long after Father had gone to sleep, Howl still lay awake. He just couldn't accept that his life was getting torn asunder once more. He simply wouldn't allow it. Quickly and quietly he dressed into his clothing and tip toed out of the room and into the fields. Yes, Father would be angry with him at first, but later he'd thank him. After all, he was only trying to find a way to preserve their way of living.

What he was looking for, he wasn't sure. He knew this was a magical place, a haven of sorts to all forms of living creatures. There just _had_ to be something in the valley that could help him with his plight. Just as he finished this thought, he saw in his peripheral vision a streak of light dash across the sky.

He frowned and looked up, trying to locate the source of the light, when another streaked by. He grinned, realizing that it was a meteor shower! More and more of them zipped by with incredible speed, as if they were competing with one another to be the fastest. One comet in particular glowed the more brightly than all the others, and only continued to grow brighter with each passing second. He realized with a start that it was heading straight for him.

A strange feeling came over him, which over rode his instinct to run. He felt compelled, for some reason, to catch it. He held his hands, cupped in front of him and a split second later the bright blue comet fell into his hands, sparks flying off it in all directions. The flames of it tickled his skin, but didn't burn him.

"Well, well, you're a special one, aren't you?" Said a sly voice, coming from the blue flames.

"You can talk?" He asked, a little surprised.

"Of course I can talk. If you can talk, then so can I."

"What are you?" Howl asked, lifting his hand up and down, kind of shaking the smarmy little creature.

"Hey, cut that out! I'm a fire demon, and it's 'Who are you?' thank you very much! The name's Calcifer and I can grant your heart's desire. In exchange I take something from you."

"What you take from me won't kill me by being gone, will it?" He asked, voicing what he saw as the most important question.

"Oh, you won't die. Don't worry about that. So do you have something you want or what?"

Howl didn't hesitate, and leaned in to whisper his wish, "You're sure?" Calcifer asked him. He nodded swiftly, his heart racing and mind whirling.

"Okay, then. But first I need to take away what you owe me." The fire demon's flames grew larger, engulfing his hands and wrists, but still it didn't burn. Then a pang in the vicinity of his chest made him gasp. He closed his eyes against it and when he opened them he saw an oddly shaped glowing… stone? hovering between him. Then Calcifer seemed to inhale it and once he had he manifested into a smaller, red and orange version of his other self. He even had eyes. They blinked at each other.

"Howl! Calcifer!" A feminine lilting voice yelled. At the sound of their names they looked in the direction from which it had come. A girl with gray hair was frantically trying to get their attention. She was silhouetted by a blinding bright light, so all Howl could make out about her, besides her hair, was that she wore a rather frumpy dress. "I know what to do now! Look for me in the future!" She then disappeared just as mysteriously as she had appeared.

Howl and Calcifer continued to stare at the place where the girl had appeared. After a pause in which total silence saturated the area, Calcifer said, "Well that was weird."

Howl rolled his eyes, "This coming from a fire demon." Howl began to walk back to the cabin, and could only think about whether or not his wish had really come true.

(A/N: Hmm, I wonder what he wished for? Heh, as if you can't tell. Please review and tell me what you think. I love hearing your opinions, whether they're constructive or not. I can't tell you how much it means to me.

Thank you to The Original Safety Pin and Fire and Ice equals Slush. You both are the two kindest reviewers I've had the pleasure of meeting thus far. Safety's fiction "The Other Side" is absolutely incredible, by the way. If you like the Inuyasha anime, definitely check it out.)


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